Education Stalwarts 2021 | Mr. Raunak Jain, Managing Director of Tula’s International School | Leaders in Education

Mr. Raunak Jain, Managing Director of Tula’s International School, one of the top Leaders in Education is with EducationToday sharing his experience.

I did my schooling at one of the most reputed schools of India – Brightlands School, Dehradun. For my higher education, I turned my dreams into reality by going to London and joining the prestigious Royal Holloway, University of London. I graduated from there in the year 2011-2012.

At the age of 21, I returned to India and joined the Tula’s International School in 2012 as the Managing Director, where I started to manage operations and policies for the school. Since then, each operation has been micromanaged by me. When I joined TIS back in 2012, I found out that the schooling system was going through a drastic change as new education policies were being implemented. 

A merit holder from the University of London, I have traveled to more than fifteen countries for work cum leisure purpose, and all my trips abroad were great learning experiences. These experiences have greatly benefited me as the Managing Director of Tula’s International School. I currently hold a dual profile as the Managing Director of Tula’s International School, and the Vice President of Tula’s Institute.

Two memories come to my mind from my early years of education. First is when I was in class 10, I was bullied by some students as well as one of the teachers, as I was obese and used to stammer. That particular teacher’s bullying hit me so hard that I resorted to self-therapy, eventually losing weight, overcoming the stammering problem, and molding my overall personality.

The second memory is when I was in London for my graduation. During a group discussion assignment comprising of five people, of which four were Britishers, I being an Indian was considered a citizen belonging to a third world country, and not having good English communication and writing. But thanks to my schooling in Dehradun, I fought my way back and changed their perceptions regarding Indians, and was later nominated as the group leader by all four of them.

The lesson that I learned from these two incidents is that self-help is the best help, and getting hurt helps you to take the right path, provided if taken sportingly with a positive frame of mind.

When I started working in the education sector, I found a few shortcomings which had to be rectified. I felt, to a large extent, that the Indian education system did not link the classroom with career options. Taking this into consideration, I made sure that at Tula’s, we give students the maximum possible combinations that can link them to a possible career. I also felt that at all levels of the education system in our country, flexibility was majorly lacking. Hence at Tula’s, the choice of discipline is made well before the degree starts, i.e., in class 11, and the number of compulsory courses is very high. Students can fill their basket with many different combinations of interesting courses, such as PCMB with Economics.

My journey has certainly not been a cakewalk. I’ve had my fair share of challenges and hurdles.

One of the major challenges that I faced was when I had to compete with the experience of old warhorses, who have been in the business for about 30 to 50 years. Some schools were running for over 100 years. Another challenge was that being the youngest entrepreneur in the education sector, I needed to prove my worth as generally white hairs are considered to be the mark of experience and intelligence in our society. 

I have a vision of seeing all my staff and students satisfied and happy. The only benchmark that I know is to be the ‘Numero Uno’ in the country.

My biggest source of inspiration during my journey has been my father, who is a self-made man himself. He gave me the courage to live my dreams and face the music myself. He has taught me to accept new challenges and come out as a winner. He stood rock solid behind my wrong decisions, which gave me the experience and the ability to make the right decisions with more authority.

My belief is to never lose hope as I firmly believe that “Together we rise, together we touch the sky”.

My achievements include being the Vice President Welfare of the National Tae-Kwon-Do Committee, the Vice Chairman of Development Committee of the Uttarakhand Teerandazi Association, and the President Member (Lifetime) of the Uttarakhand Crossbow Shooting Association of India. In 2018-2019, the Forbes Magazine featured me as The Young Achiever of 2019, as well as TIS in the list of the top 30 great schools of India. I am also a proud recipient of the Education Stalwart Award in the years 2019 & 2021, and I am a permanent member of the Uttarakhand Cricket Association, as well as the Life Time Member of one of the biggest NGO’s in the world – Lions Club International.

My mother has been my pillar of support throughout my journey, as she has always supported me when I was down and out. Her positive thinking and helping attitude have made me the person that I am today. My sister, who is a friend and a guide, always showed me the right path. She has been my pillar of strength through thick and thin.

A message I would like to give to the upcoming professionals in the field of education is that, if you want to be a great educator, you must connect with your pupils and reach them on multiple levels, because the best teachers are committed to their students’ well-being both inside and outside the classroom. An effective educator needs to be committed not only to their students but also to the teaching profession as a whole. This means abiding by the rules and regulations, and embracing the principles of the teaching profession, as well as the requirements. Professional commitment is an attitude that someone has towards their job. It is their point of view and their active participation in the profession. The individuals who are committed are lifelong learners who must be committed to the teaching profession. Lastly, I would like to say that, keep your teaching as simple as possible, but understandable to your students.

Do check out experiences shared by our top 50 leaders in education. All of the Leaders in education who have shared their experience with us have been motivating and life changing.

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